Twelve Arkansas River Valley youth are on a path of healing and hope after completing an art therapy program.

The Healing Arts Program is an enhancement to the Day Treatment program for at-risk youth provided by Community Service Inc.

“We are so thankful to our supporters for helping us make this program available to youth in the River Valley,” Darryl Rhoda, Community Service CEO, said. “When we all come together, great outcomes will occur benefiting our community and the future of our state.”

Healing Arts provides therapeutic art experiences and provides valuable life lessons. Art therapy is based on the idea that the creative process of making art helps an individual learn and gain perspective at the same time.

Art utilizes the creative process and promotes growth, self-expression, self-esteem, perseverance, adaptability and responsibility. Creating art helps youth cope with emotions they may not be able to express verbally and gain alternative perspectives in life.

The program is taught by Virmarie DePoyster, an artist in residency with the Arkansas Arts Council Artists in Education.

“Perspective is vitally important in art, life and education,” DePoyster said. “Art perspective literally shows the reference of one thing to the other, life perspective helps one keep balance, and education perspective demonstrates relevance between knowledge and everyday life.”

The youth involved learned how to apply the elements of art and principles of perspective to design, creating their own works of art in an “I Love” sketchbook.

The sketchbook contains items that give joy and love to the youth participant. The program’s goal is to reduce emotional stress through the creative process.

"Art and the self-expression it encourages increases the youth’s self-esteem and helps them share their perspective based on individual experiences,” DePoyster said. “Art Education also helps develop character and imagination while teaching how to apply the elements and principles of design.”

The Healing Arts program also provides trust-building activities focused on promoting open and healthy discussions. The theme of perspective in life was woven into each class, each piece of art and the overall program.

The program was funded in part by the Arkansas Arts Council and the Community Service Youth Foundation.